458  Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 19:52:54 -0300
From: Janis Kenyon <jantango@FEEDBACK.NET.AR>
Subject: Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

The annual Festival Buenos Aires Tango continues with free classes and
concerts every night through March 9. Last Friday's concert listed Ruben
Juarez and Los Reyes del Tango, but Maria Grana substituted for him. She
gave a fantastic performance with many encores and standing ovations. She
really delivers the lyrics of tango.

The last 70 couples danced in the finals of the tango championship. There
were a total of 190 couples selected during the semifinals in February.
The judges on this night were Juan Carlos Copes, Hector Majoral & Elsa
Maria, Milena Plebs, and Juan Manuel Fernandez. After heats of ten couples
each, the judges selected another 16 couples to dance. Now, for the truth
and nothing but the truth. The finalists of the previous two weeks seemed
to follow a pattern. The rules were very clear. It was a competition of
style and elegance of social tango. The problem is the judges forgot the
rules themselves. They were chosing students, friends, and friends of
friends to win. The best were eliminated. This was never more evident that
in the last round when three couples who broke all the rules were announced
the winners. I found out afterwards that it was all arranged. One of the
winning couples are obviously stage dancers. They were no more dancing a
social style than the man in the moon. They even received applause from the
audience for their tricks. I have it all on tape. There was no continuous
embrace or feet on the floor. We watched it the following day with one of
the participants whose comment about the competition was "que basura!"

If this competition is held next year, the judges should create age and
style divisions as is done in all dance competitions around the world. Then
a milonguero of 70 years who dances a social style with the music won't be
competing with younger dancers who are doing a style more appropriate for
the stage.

The nine finalist couples will be performing on three occasions during this
year and will receive $600. They will also be participating in the first
world tango competition to be held in July 2002 in Buenos Aires. Couples
from other countries will be participating as well, but the winners will
surely be from Buenos Aires.

Geraldine Rojas and Javier Rodriguez performed during the night. They are
in their 20s and practice eight hours a day. They gave a flawless
performance. Geraldine was born to dance and does lots of high kicks and
extensions. They have a career in stage performance, but I question how or
why they teach tango. Most people who study want to learn to dance for the
milonga. This couple wants to perform on stage and don't have experience in
the milongas. Geraldine dances with her heels off the floor. Javier
appears to be a robot just going through the motions of the choreographed
routine he was programmed to do.

Pichi

Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 09:14:33 +1000
From: John Lowry <john@LOWRYHART.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

Janis Kenyon wrote:
The annual Festival Buenos Aires Tango continues with free classes and
concerts every night through March 9........... Now, for the truth
and nothing but the truth. ..........

Congratulations Janis for standing up for Tango. How sad it is when Tango is
reduced to competition, with all its politics and rules of style. Just like
all competition, the heart is torn out. It may be good entertainment and I
guess it is good for tourism and sales, but little else.
El Abrazo

Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 19:33:37 -0500
From: Michael B Ditkoff <tangomaniac@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

Oh My God!

It's just like the Olympic Pairs Figure Skating scandal. Except I'm sure
there WON'T be an investigation.

Michael Ditkoff
Washington, DC

On Thu, 7 Mar 2002 09:14:33 +1000 John Lowry <john@LOWRYHART.COM.AU>
writes:

> Janis Kenyon wrote:
> The annual Festival Buenos Aires Tango continues with free classes >

and> concerts every night through March 9........... Now, for the truth

> and nothing but the truth. ..........
>

Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 20:37:01 -0700
From: "Bruno E. Romero" <romerob@CADVISION.COM>
Subject: Fw: Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

Those are sad news specially when the judges are well / world reknown
dancers. I would have liked to be there to watch the results and the winners
chosen on their merits and the competition rules. I propose sending free
copies of Discepolo's Tango Cambalache to the judges.

Bruno


----- Original Message -----

Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 3:52 PM
Subject: Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

> The annual Festival Buenos Aires Tango continues with free classes and
> concerts every night through March 9. Last Friday's concert listed Ruben
> Juarez and Los Reyes del Tango, but Maria Grana substituted for him. She
> gave a fantastic performance with many encores and standing ovations. She
> really delivers the lyrics of tango.
>
> The last 70 couples danced in the finals of the tango championship. There
> were a total of 190 couples selected during the semifinals in February.
> The judges on this night were Juan Carlos Copes, Hector Majoral & Elsa
> Maria, Milena Plebs, and Juan Manuel Fernandez. After heats of ten

couples

> each, the judges selected another 16 couples to dance. Now, for the truth
> and nothing but the truth. The finalists of the previous two weeks seemed
> to follow a pattern. The rules were very clear. It was a competition of
> style and elegance of social tango. The problem is the judges forgot the
> rules themselves. They were chosing students, friends, and friends of
> friends to win. The best were eliminated. This was never more evident

that

> in the last round when three couples who broke all the rules were

announced

> the winners. I found out afterwards that it was all arranged. One of the
> winning couples are obviously stage dancers. They were no more dancing a
> social style than the man in the moon. They even received applause from

the

> audience for their tricks. I have it all on tape. There was no

continuous

> embrace or feet on the floor. We watched it the following day with one of
> the participants whose comment about the competition was "que basura!"
>
> If this competition is held next year, the judges should create age and
> style divisions as is done in all dance competitions around the world.

Then

> a milonguero of 70 years who dances a social style with the music won't be
> competing with younger dancers who are doing a style more appropriate for
> the stage.
>
> The nine finalist couples will be performing on three occasions during

this

> year and will receive $600. They will also be participating in the first
> world tango competition to be held in July 2002 in Buenos Aires. Couples
> from other countries will be participating as well, but the winners will
> surely be from Buenos Aires.
>
> Geraldine Rojas and Javier Rodriguez performed during the night. They are
> in their 20s and practice eight hours a day. They gave a flawless
> performance. Geraldine was born to dance and does lots of high kicks and
> extensions. They have a career in stage performance, but I question how

or

> why they teach tango. Most people who study want to learn to dance for

the

> milonga. This couple wants to perform on stage and don't have experience

in

> the milongas. Geraldine dances with her heels off the floor. Javier
> appears to be a robot just going through the motions of the choreographed
> routine he was programmed to do.
>
> Pichi
>
>

Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2002 17:18:26 -0000
From: Mike Lavocah <mikelavocah@FREENETNAME.CO.UK>
Subject: Re: Championship of Tango de Salon in Buenos Aires

Janis Kenyon wrote:

"Geraldine Rojas and Javier Rodriguez performed during the night. They are
in their 20s and practice eight hours a day. They gave a flawless
performance. Geraldine was born to dance and does lots of high kicks and
extensions. They have a career in stage performance, but I question how or
why they teach tango. Most people who study want to learn to dance for the
milonga. This couple wants to perform on stage and don't have experience in
the milongas. Geraldine dances with her heels off the floor."

But, Geraldine danced for years in the milongas when she was much younger!
You can see her with Ganriel Missi in that famous clip in Glorias
Argentinas - they're the really short couple. There's also a short video of
them dancing Lucio Demare's milonga La Esquina. A friend recorded it from
Solo Tango. They both look about 16. Before I saw this I thought that you
had to have had a lot of life experience to dance tango with real quality,
but this performance forced me to reconsider. Everyone who has seen it has
asked to see it again. They both step softly and with astonishing grace and
fluidity, with a dance that is rich in figures yet entirely with the music.
Maybe she has gone down a different road now, but she certainly used to be
able to dance the real tango milonguero.

Mike Lavocah

mailto:mike@milonga.co.uk
https://www.milonga.co.uk/